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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30088206">Haunted Hearts</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CommanderTeatime/pseuds/CommanderTeatime'>CommanderTeatime</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Vampire Kisses Series - Ellen Schreiber</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Rewrite, Drama &amp; Romance, Eloping, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Human/Vampire Relationship, Wuthering Heights References, a love letter but also a fuck you to canon, this fic has been seven years in the making</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:13:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,354</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30088206</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CommanderTeatime/pseuds/CommanderTeatime</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Raven starts a fight with Alexander, all she has wanted is to be a vampire, and now is the right time-- in the middle of a semester, before high school graduation, and before either one of them gets into college. Alexander refuses, not just because of his own anxieties, but because so much is going on that Raven won't understand. Pureblood vampire families are thrown into political chaos and unable to ignore the demands of his family, Alexander finds himself returning home. </p>
<p>Refusing to allow him to return home alone, Raven journey to Romania with him. She finds herself in a unique position-- does she continue the lie and pretend to be a vampire? Or does she take advantage of the situation and convince Alexander to turn her?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alexander Sterling/Raven Madison, Becky Miller/Matt Wells</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Waiting Game</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>When I say in the tags that this fic has been seven years in the making, I mean it in every single way. I was so furious over the ending of Immortal Hearts that I immediately started to plot out a 'fix-it' of sorts, a love letter to the series, but a 'what the hell were you thinking, Ellen Schreiber', if you will. Most of this fic came to the surface over this timeless year of lockdown, and finally, I feel like I can share my thoughts if there's anyone out there to read them. </p>
<p>This fic is being crossposted to fanfiction.net, I'm not entirely sure how much of the fandom transitioned to AO3 from the good ol' days.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="xcontrast">
<p></p><div>
<p></p><div><p>Becky hadn't asked for details.</p>
<p>Raven was grateful.</p>
<p>The silence that had fallen between them gave her the opportunity to focus on something else like Dullsville's late afternoon traffic or the wind brushing through the trees. She couldn't, though, they were all a reminder Raven realized.</p>
<p>So many dates had been spent here at Evans Park. They had chased each other around on the playground equipment, laughing until breathless. He had taken her to the top of the hill so they could watch the town's lights below, so they could talk in private while Billy and Stormy jumped off the swingset. Once, when she was waiting for him, she carved their initials into the inside of the twisty slide using her barrette.</p>
<p>It had only been two days, but already it was hard to remember Alexander's smile, the sound of his laugh. Instead, the way he had looked when she had hurt him was stuck in her mind like the phantom image of a bright light. Every positive memory she tried to conjure was shattered by the way he had looked at her before walking away. All she could hear was his voice replaying in her head like a scratched record, skipping over and over again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
        <em>"What do you mean?" He had asked, his arms crossed over his chest as though he could deflect what she was going to say next. Everything had changed in an instant when she had asked him.</em>
      </p>
<p>
        <em>Still, she pushed him. "I want to know how you feel about our future," she said. </em>
      </p>
<p>
        <em>"I thought you knew." </em>
      </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It had only made it worse that she had yelled after that. The softness of his voice, the awful heavy sound someone made before they were going to cry. She hadn't noticed it then, she had been too caught up in her own anxieties, the thought that he might leave her behind, a bride at an empty altar.</p>
<p>In the seconds that had fallen between them, Raven had seen herself age eighty years. The crow's feet that were already beginning to show at the edges of her eyes were more prominent. Her hands were soft, spotted with age, wrinkled like her grandmother's. Still in combat boots, but gray-haired and toothless, too arthritic to dance with him.</p>
<p>Alexander would remain the same at her side. Eternal youth, ideal beauty captured in stone.</p>
<p>His hands would never wrinkle.</p>
<p>Her old age disappeared when he took a step back from her. She had yelled at him, she had started a fight that no one would ever win. She had struck the match to burn the bridge between them.</p>
<p>In the end, he had turned away from her. Alexander started towards the Mansion to grab the car keys so he could take her home. Raven stood there, still in the gazebo, transfixed. It would haunt her more than any ghost could.</p>
<p>"Earth to Raven," Becky said beside her, waving an arm in the air.</p>
<p>Raven blinked. "Sorry," she murmured.</p>
<p>"Are you still thinking about it?" Becky asked, shoving her converse into the wood chips to stop from swinging.</p>
<p>Raven looked at the two tracks of dirt she had made in the woodchips below, just by dragging her feet through them. Her fingers were also a mess from all of the times she had bit at her nails, deep in thought. She took her fingers away from her lips, frowning to herself about the mess she had made of the already chipped polish.</p>
<p>"I'm sure whatever it was that it isn't as bad as you think it is," Becky trailed her feet through the wood chips again, coming to a total stop. "You guys almost never fight."</p>
<p>She fixed her eyes back down on the dirt, blinking away the burning tears behind her eyes. "It was worse," Raven admitted. "I don't think anything I can do can fix it."</p>
<p>If Becky saw her cry again, Raven was sure that she was going to do something. She had cried so much already- over the phone, through a few episodes of Dark Shadows, and nearly every instance where Becky mentioned Alexander. Raven had lost count of the times, she had lost count of how many times she had reminded herself of her mistakes. Becky didn't know about those mistakes, though, all Becky knew was that something had happened and that in that something, they had taken a break. Despite her best friend's fear of the Mansion and vampires, she wouldn't put it past Becky to put her in the truck and drive down to the Mansion herself. She could almost see it- Becky, white-knuckling the steering wheel as she pulled up the drive, going up to the Mansion's large decorative door knocker and wailing on it, asking for Jameson to bring Alexander down.</p>
<p>"Was it about college?" Becky asked.</p>
<p>Raven shook her head.</p>
<p>She hadn't even considered college. She was sure that Alexander had, however, that that was probably one of his reasons for being so hesitant, for refusing to turn her now.</p>
<p>"Family?"</p>
<p>She shrugged, not knowing exactly how to answer. Raven supposed that in some way, yes, that by Alexander walking away from her he was rejecting her idea of being his immortal bride. He was denying her a place in his family, his home, and now his life.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
        <em>"You want me to bite you now, or else?" He had asked. </em>
      </p>
<p>
        <em>"No, it really isn't an ultimatum, but how long am I supposed to wait?" </em>
      </p>
<p>
        <em>She hadn't meant to raise her voice towards the end, or for him to uncross his arms. He reached towards her, taking her hand and bringing her promise ring up into the warm light of the gazebo. It sat there on her finger, cubic zirconia, little black stones, a promise without a plan. </em>
      </p>
<p>
        <em>"Doesn't this mean anything to you?" His fingers shifted underneath her palm, letting go of her. "What is this all about, Raven? Just you wanting to become a vampire? Not about us being ourselves?" </em>
      </p>
<p>
        <em>"No-"</em>
      </p>
<p>
        <em>He didn't stop. Raven could see, looking at the hurt in his eyes, that she had stirred up all of his anxieties. They had risen to the surface, and for once, he was talking about them. It was so rare to hear Alexander talk like this, about his thoughts and feelings. She wanted to take his hand, to pull his arms away from his chest where he had returned to holding himself together. </em>
      </p>
<p>Instead, she had stood there, awestruck by what she had done.</p>
<p>
        <em>"The blood that runs through my veins isn't like yours, it's centuries old. It's evil, Raven, every single second we're together it tells me to just…" Alexander closed his eyes for a long second. He turned his head away from her when he opened them, unable to continue his thought. "It's getting late." </em>
      </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It had been worse than being told 'no.'</p>
<p>Raven didn't explain it all to Becky, leaving out how it had been about Alexander turning her into a vampire. Instead, she filled it in with something about wanting to cement their relationship, something to make it real to the world that they were meant to be. She had talked about wanting to create a plan, some sort of timeline leading up to marriage. Anything that would keep her best friend from flinching at the thought of vampires, despite knowing the truth.</p>
<p>"I've never seen him so angry," she said quietly. "He drove me home and didn't say anything."</p>
<p>He had even taken the shortcut instead of the long way home, Raven realized. She had made him so angry that he hadn't wanted to spend another three minutes in the car with her. She bit down on what was left of her thumbnail, wincing when she got too close to the skin of her finger.</p>
<p>Becky's hand rested on the middle of her back, startling her out of her misery. "I'm sure it'll all be okay. Guys tend to take a few days to pout about things before apologizing."</p>
<p>Raven took a deep breath, "I'm the one who has to apologize, though, and he won't let me. It's already been two days, Beck, and I don't know what to do."</p>
<p>"Maybe you two just need to be locked into a room together." Her hand traced across Raven's back before returning to the chain of the swing. "It's what worked for me and Matt."</p>
<p>She could remember the phone call. Becky had called like she had promised to do after trying to speak with Matt, who had avoided all of her calls. Instead of trying his cell again, she had called the home phone and talked with Matt's mother. When she had come over to speak to Matt, his mother had locked them in the dining room together. They hadn't even realized they had started talking to each other again when cooperating to get out. Their conversation had then shifted to their fight and making up. Then making out, and just as they had gotten used to the privacy, Mrs. Wells had opened the door.</p>
<p>Raven could imagine herself being locked in a room with Alexander. She would speak her heart out and cry through her apology, and just like every night, Alexander would ignore her just like he had ignored her calls and texts. She could picture him sitting on the window bench in the parlor, looking through the gauzy blue curtains out to the rest of the neighborhood.</p>
<p>Raven wasn't sure there was anything she could say to fix it. Even if she wrote a long letter using the long drafts she had started in her journals, it meant he would have to read it to accept it. If she left voicemails that said more than, 'I love you, please call me back," then it would give Stormy the possibility to meddle. She was also assuming that he checked his own answering machine, rather than leaving it to Jameson.</p>
<p>In the end, Raven knew that there wasn't anything she could do that could take back what she had done. Her impatience had made her no better than Luna. The Maxwell family had pushed for Alexander to turn her when she turned eighteen, and instead of going through with it, he had run away and found safety in another country thousands of miles away. Now she was pushing him and he was bound to run away again.</p>
<p>She wondered if it was worse than that. She had known him for over a year now, and in that year they had established so much trust. Raven had given him a place to talk if he wanted it, and she had listened to his fears before. She had done it and she had brushed them aside selfishly because turning her into a vampire wasn't going to be the end of the world and she was sure of it.</p>
<p>If anything, losing him would be the end of the world. She had already lost him once when the Maxwells had left Romania. He had left for Hipsterville with only a note left behind, and she had spent all of Spring Break tracking him down. Still, he had found her in the end.</p>
<p>Raven spat out the flakes of black nail polish that had found their way into her mouth.</p>
<p>"I'm sure Alexander's little sister could help," Becky suggested.</p>
<p>She smiled a little, thinking about Stormy locking them in the parlor room to sort out their fight. They'd have to talk then, or Alexander would have to face Stormy's billion questions. It would be unfair, though, especially because Raven had already brought Stormy into things. She had only started the conversation, the fight, because talking with Stormy about it had encouraged her.</p>
<p>"I don't think that would work," Raven said, running a hand through her hair. "Stormy is going back to Romania soon and Alexander might go with her. I might not get to say goodbye to either of them"</p>
<p>Becky scoffed, "I doubt Alexander would do that."</p>
<p>Raven glanced up from the wood chips in front of her. "I don't. He left Luna, he left his family, I'm sure he'll leave me next."</p>
<p>"You're being dramatic."</p>
<p>"I know," Raven murmured. "I just don't know what to do to make it right."</p>
<p>"Have you tried going to the Mansion?"</p>
<p>She nodded. She had done so twice now and both times, Jameson had come to the door and said something about Alexander not being available. She had almost expected Stormy to start down the stairs behind the old man, but only silence welcomed her.</p>
<p>"Maybe he just needs more time," Becky said cheerfully, hoping that her tone could boost the conversation into some level of optimism. "You could keep yourself busy and come to Hasty's tonight with me and Matt."</p>
<p>It would keep her mom from asking more questions if she went out and pretending things were normal; however, Raven knew that it wouldn't be enough. She had already spent two nights home, teary-eyed, watching Dark Shadows and listening to The Cure until she fell asleep.</p>
<p>Thoughts of Alexander would still be there at Hasty's. He wouldn't be there at her side, flicking straw wrappers with Matt, or looking through the selection on the tabletop jukebox for Elvis songs. Instead, Raven would have to sit there in their usual booth with her journal while Becky and Matt canoodled. Trevor would inevitably sit down beside her and take advantage of Alexander's absence. She could almost smell the sweat on his soccer jersey as he put his arm around her and pulled her in tight, calling her 'Monster Girl' and drinking from her milkshake.</p>
<p>"Well?" Becky asked.</p>
<p>"I appreciate the offer, but it's not the same. It would be weird without Alexander there."</p>
<p>Becky huffed a small sigh. "Are you just going to wait by the phone and hope he calls?" She slid off of the swing and turned back to meet her eyes.</p>
<p>Raven rubbed at her nose with the edge of her sleeve. "No," she said flatly. "I'm going to watch Dark Shadows."</p>
<p>"That's not a very... uplifting show."</p>
<p>She shrugged, "it's better than scaling the fence and barging into the Mansion myself. I might as well watch Victoria Winters talk to a vampire if I can't."</p></div></div></div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Life of the Party</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Raven and Becky decide to end the school year like they had started it-- by going to one of Matt's crazy parties.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>six revisions, several caffeine fueled editing/writing sessions, and a few fights later, i had returned.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The plan had come in the middle of English class, but Raven had waited until lunch to sort it out.</p>
<p>She had decided to discard the idea of breaking into the Mansion. It was too brash, especially when she was trying to prove to Alexander that these past few days had changed her.</p>
<p>Instead, she had decided on flowers. It was an idea that Becky had come up with on their morning ride to school. Raven would buy them after school and hopefully, Dullsville Floral would have the courage to deliver them to the Mansion just before sunset. They'd be delivered with an apology, something small enough to fit on the card that usually accompanied flowers.</p>
<p>Raven found herself in a writing fit trying to find the right words to accompany red roses. SHe had started her draft of the letter in the middle of English, while everyone else was talking about <em>Wuthering Heights</em>. It had helped to know that she was doing something she shouldn't be, but now that she was sitting on the bleachers waiting for Matt and Becky, Raven was finding it difficult to focus.</p>
<p>The spring breeze brushed against the pages under her hand as she scratched out some of what she had already written. She was always coming up with better ways to say something, resulting in an almost unreadable page of edits in her journal.</p>
<p>The bleachers rattled and shook as though someone had dropped a cinder block on them. Raven clutched her notebook close to her chest and turned around to see just what had made so much noise.</p>
<p>It rattled again as Trevor jumped down from one bleacher seat to the next. He looked at her as he landed on both feet again.</p>
<p>"Monster Girl," he said, jumping down another row and another until he was beside her.</p>
<p>Raven quickly moved her backpack over to her other side, just in case he thought about spitting into it or kicking it over with his stupid feet. Instead, he dropped down beside her, rattling the bench underneath her before getting comfortable. Trevor sank down to the floor of the bleacher, putting his feet up on the next bench and resting his head against the bench she was on.</p>
<p>"Matty's throwing a party, you going?"</p>
<p>Raven glowered at him, her notebook still held close to her chest. She wasn't sure what he was asking her, if this was his way of inviting her to a party she already knew about, or if he was revealing his plans for revenge.</p>
<p>The last time Matt had thrown a party, she had led him on into the woods and stuffed his clothes into a garbage bag.</p>
<p>"Why would I want to go to a party I know you're going to be at?"</p>
<p>"Because I'm there," he said, not looking up at her, but still smiling.</p>
<p>"Didn't you learn your lesson last time?"</p>
<p>"Oh, yeah," he said, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, but y'know, I just figured you could be nice to me this time."</p>
<p>Raven slammed her journal closed, trapping the pen inside of it. "Maybe because you're a menace?" She said, suddenly furious. Her hands found her backpack beside her, shoving her journal inside. "Are you forgetting that you've bullied me every day for like... fourteen years? And not just me, but my friends, my boyfriend, his family?"</p>
<p>"Hey, you started it," he said, turning away from the soccer field to look at her. His smile was gone. "You fuckin' bit me in kindergarten, and you ignore me all the time. You took my clothes and taped them to your locker. You fuckin' stuck your little fingers in my relationship and you ditched me at prom!" His stupid smile returned, but the rest of him feigned hurt. "Prom!" He said again.</p>
<p>She grabbed her bag, hoisting it up onto her shoulder as she got to her feet. There were plenty of other places to go for lunch, she'd find one. Becky would just have to find her, if she wanted to, or sit on the bleachers with Matt. Raven turned to take a step away and heard thousands of papers fluttering in the wind.</p>
<p>Everything inside of her bag had spilled out like candy from a pinata. Assignments, drawings, everything, spilled out onto the bleachers. Quickly, Raven dropped her bag and started to scoop up what she could.</p>
<p>She heard the bleachers rattle underneath her again, but didn't look up away from the mess. Papers began to drift further away, caught in the spring air. Not caring about the papers crinkling or tearing, Raven stuffed as many as she could into her bag.</p>
<p>Trevor's feet showed up in front of her, stopping an essay from floating away in the breeze. He knelt down and handed her a few other papers that had floated further away.</p>
<p>Grateful, Raven took them and put them into her bag.</p>
<p>"Uh, thanks."</p>
<p>He started to pick up her pencils, putting them back into the pencil bag that had rolled out of the top of her bag. He handed that to her as well.</p>
<p>"Look, we've been really shitty to each other--"</p>
<p>Raven took a deep breath, finding her rage again. "Just shitty, Trevor?" She accepted the pencil bag and put it into the bag. "You've been downright cruel. Do you think helping me pick up my stuff is enough that I should just forgive you? That I should just go to Matt's party and fuck you in the woods like you want because you picked up some papers?"</p>
<p>His face was almost unreadable. Raven could see the cogs in his mind starting to grind and spin as he tried to come up with a comeback to what she had just said. Finally, they caught up to her and stopped her from walking further away.</p>
<p>"Look, okay, this party?" He said, standing up straight. "This party is my goodbye, Raven," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I want you to be there because I want to say goodbye, I want to bury the hatchet."</p>
<p>Raven turned slowly to look at him. "What? A goodbye? For what?"</p>
<p>"Uh, I'm leaving?" He said, his voice softer now. Trevor took a few steps to close the space that had grown between them, not bothering to jump this time. "I'm eloping with Jennifer, we're leaving tomorrow night."</p>
<p>She felt her jaw drop. Anything she could have said evaporated in her mind.</p>
<p>"Yeah, so you wanna come? Fine, come to the party. You don't want to come? Don't. Just know, it's been nice." Trevor gave her a small smile, then started down the bleacher steps to the first row.</p>
<p>Raven closed her mouth for just a moment, then called out to him before he was out of sight. "How do I know it's not a prank?"</p>
<p>He spun quick enough that he almost tripped over the last step. "I could've made Carrie happen at prom and you're worried about a fuckin' house party, Monster Girl?"</p>
<p>She swallowed down her words. There was no way she was going to yell anything at him again or chase after him to get more answers. She'd find them another way, maybe at the party, or from someone else who knew more.</p>
<p>Trevor turned back around and started down the ramp of the bleachers. He bumped fists with Matt as they walked past one another. Becky turned back to stick her tongue out at the back of his head just before he disappeared into the distance.</p>
<p>Raven started to sit back down where she had been, still thinking over what Trevor had just said. Becky took the spot where he had been just moments before but sat down on the bleachers like a normal person. Matt took the spot beside her, dumping out his sack lunch into his lap.</p>
<p>"What was all of that about?" Becky asked, putting her feet up on the bleachers in front of them.</p>
<p>She put her own boots up on the bleachers, taking a deep breath before thinking about how she was going to explain the emotional trip Trevor had just taken her on.</p>
<p>"Uh, Trevor just invited me to Matt's house party."</p>
<p>Matt snickered as he handed Becky his applesauce cup in exchange for her bag of Doritos. "Well, he should know you're already invited."</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>There was something poetic about starting high school by crashing one of Matt's parties, only to be invited to one at the end of it.</p>
<p>Raven reminisced about the last party as Becky got ready. She had dumped out the contents of her purse on the bed, sifting through old receipts and papers, tucking things away into pockets.</p>
<p>The last time they had gone to one of Matt's parties, they had crashed it together.</p>
<p>It had been the night of her sixteenth birthday, at the very beginning of the school year. Matt and Trevor had made varsity soccer as sophomores, something not unheard of, but difficult to accomplish, Raven supposed. Even with Becky's ability to hang on the fringe of popular cliques with her sporty boyfriend, Raven had still struggled to absorb any understanding of sports teams.</p>
<p>The first party had been a compromise. Sort of. Instead of breaking into the Mansion to see who had moved in, or sneaking around the grounds, they were going to make Trevor's life miserable.</p>
<p>Raven thought to herself, leaning back against the pile of pillows on her bed. If she had decided to break into the Mansion, or run around the yard in search of answers, would things have turned out differently? Would she still have had a relationship with Alexander? Or would the Sterlings have called the police?</p>
<p>In some other world, it would be funny that the first time she had crashed one of Matt's parties it was to keep her mind off of the Mansion, and now, the second time, was to do the same. Becky was becoming her impulse control, the only thing keeping her from committing a felony or misdemeanor, whichever breaking and entering was considered.</p>
<p>She had made the last move, though, by sending Alexander flowers. It was up to him now if they rekindled things. He'd have to accept her apology, and hopefully, he'd save her from the monotony of a house party.</p>
<p>Things were going to be different this time. Raven had never felt so out of place.</p>
<p>Becky wouldn't spend the entire time locked in the bathroom hiding from Matt or playing waitress to a bunch of older students. They were the older students now, and there was no point in hiding from Matt. With their seniority, they could be the ones to spend the night dancing in Matt's large living room, drinking watered-down sangria. </p>
<p>Trevor would still be there, she supposed, but if he was eloping with Jennifer, would he even bother finding her? If this was his goodbye party, he'd be too busy saying goodbye, right?</p>
<p>"I heard they were going somewhere far away, like Vancouver," Becky said from the other side of the bed.</p>
<p>Raven looked away from the wall she had been staring at. It still struck her how much Becky had changed in the past year. She had changed shirts from a t-shirt with a cute cardigan to one of Raven's tops. It was less clingy on Becky's thin frame, and less edgy when not paired with safety pin earrings and cut-up black jeans.</p>
<p>She was talking about Trevor's plans with Jennifer, she realized.</p>
<p>Raven squirmed, settling further into the cushions. It was hard to think about Dullsville without Trevor. It was like thinking about malaria without thinking about mosquitoes.</p>
<p>"Those poor Canadians," Raven muttered, turning onto her side to look at Becky.</p>
<p>It would be hard not to smile every time riding her bike through downtown, free from harassment. It was harder to think about town gossip that didn't involve Alexander or his family. They'd be able to go anywhere in town, and the whispers that accompanied them wherever they went, would for once, not be about them, but Trevor. Raven was giddy, she'd be able to go to Hasty's and actually finish a shake without Trevor stealing it, or making her too nauseous.</p>
<p>"Maybe we can convince him to go somewhere further," Becky said, stuffing her makeup into her bag. "We'll get him tickets to Bermuda as a wedding present."</p>
<p>"Bermuda would send him back," Raven said with a sigh. "A psych ward, maybe?"</p>
<p>"Raven!" Becky said, trying her best not to laugh. She turned over onto her stomach. "Matt wants to get Trevor a wedding present," she said, moving her hair from her face. "All I can think of is like.. getting him a book on how not to be an asshole."</p>
<p>"Ugh, we'd have to write it."</p>
<p>"Ugh," Becky parroted. "Maybe an air fryer? Those are vogue right now."</p>
<p>"Too expensive," Raven shuddered. "Maybe a toaster?"</p>
<p>Becky sat up, "oh, yes, those are only like twelve dollars."</p>
<p>Raven took her wallet from her purse and looked through the cash she had tucked inside. She took out four wadded-up singles and stuffed them into Becky's hand. "Don't say I didn't give him anything."</p>
<p>She snickered, putting the toaster money into her purse. "I'll let Matt know."</p>
<p>They took their time getting ready.</p>
<p>Becky fluffed her hair and fluffed her hair again, retouching her makeup as Raven compulsively checked her phone for a message from Alexander. Before she knew it, Becky was leading her down the stairs from her room, out of the house, and into the truck. Without even saying a quick goodbye to her parents, they were on their way to Trevor's party.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Oh my god," Becky groaned, easing the truck to a stop as a couple crossed in front of them. "Where am I going to park?"</p>
<p>Cars lined both sides of the street, all the way around the cul-de-sac. It reminded Raven of Hipsterville when the college kids went out downtown, filling every possible inch of concrete like ants swarming for crumbs. She thought about climbing a bit out the window, to see if she could spot something that Becky couldn't.</p>
<p>The truck lurched forward as Becky lifted her foot from the brake.</p>
<p>"I thought Matt said he was going to save you a spot," Raven said, not looking away from the cards around them.</p>
<p>They went around the cul-de-sac, where a massive lit fountain sat in between Matt and Trevor's houses. Of course, they were neighbors, she should've remembered.</p>
<p>The front of Matt's house was crowded with partygoers. Raven instantly found Trevor's car in the spot right beside Matts, where Becky's truck belonged. She leaned back against her seat with a sigh of defeat as it all disappeared past the window.</p>
<p>Becky found a spot not too far away, towards the beginning of the street. With some help, she parallels parked near one of the neighbor's mailboxes and they stepped out into the late spring air.</p>
<p>"Do you think everyone knows Trevor's leaving?" Raven asked, carefully stepping over a puddle of something in the grass. She linked arms with Becky as they walked through the yards of Matt's neighbors towards the party.</p>
<p>"No, only a few people know," she answered, tightening her grip on Raven. "I think only the soccer team and the power squad."</p>
<p>"You'd think the whole town would know by now," Raven kept her gaze forward on the swarm of people in Matt's lawn. "At least we can say we were in the know when all of this blows up."</p>
<p>Becky smiled, "I can't believe we know something before Mrs. Mitchell," she said quietly, looking over to Trevor's dark, vacant home.</p>
<p>Raven glanced over to the house as well. The front lights were off and no one had dared to park in the wide driveway. It was obvious that the Mitchells were gone, but even if they weren't, Raven knew they wouldn't be the kind to call the police on a house party, especially when their son was a guest of honor.</p>
<p>Had it been a party at the Mansion, Raven had no doubt that the FBI would be at the front door.</p>
<p>Becky pulled her a little closer as they came to the house. Raven wasn't sure why until Becky sidestepped, pulling her with as they narrowly avoided a tackle. A football game had started in the side yard, guys that had graduated a few years before they threw each other into the hedges, fighting over a ball. Girls flocked to the other edge of the game, drinks in one hand, phones in the other. </p>
<p>They slipped past the mayhem as they made it up the driveway, through the gaggle of girls flocked around Trevor's car. It reminded Raven of the hallways on a Friday when everyone made plans for the weekend and crowded around lockers, drinking fountains, doorways.</p>
<p>"This time," Becky said, starting up the stairs. "I'm not going to let anyone trick me into being a waitress."</p>
<p>"Yes," Raven said proudly. "And there's no reason to hide in the bathroom now that Matt's your boyfriend."</p>
<p>Becky smiled brightly, her face turning a light shade of red.</p>
<p>Raven opened the front door for her, letting Becky into the massive foyer.</p>
<p>The first thought Raven had was just how lucky Matt was that his neighbors weren't too close. The music was so oppressive she struggled to think beyond the lyrics of whatever pop song was blaring through the speakers. She could feel it in her stomach, rattling against the floor, in her toes, even in her heart.</p>
<p>Becky's confidence was quickly draining as they stood there, taking it in. Beautiful girls sat on the stairways up to the second-floor catwalk. They did their best not to look at them as they walked straight into the living room.</p>
<p>She could feel Becky's nails biting into the flesh of her arm. Raven told herself not to squirm. THe sea of people was almost enough to tear them apart if not for Becky's claw grip. They squeezed past classmates of past and present, making their way through chatting groups and dancing kids to the breakfast nook.</p>
<p>"I'm looking for Matt," Becky shouted in her ear, as though they weren't thinking the same thing.</p>
<p>Raven nodded, pulling her best friend out of the last of the dance floor.</p>
<p>The crowd broke outside of the living room. The jocks that weren't outside re-enacting the last NFL game were in the kitchen, fighting over a container of lemonade mix. Some were sitting at the table, girls on each side, a poker game hidden behind a vat of Gatorade. In the center of the table sat a watch, some socks, a hair tie, and a bra. </p>
<p>Raven looked away as one of the girls wiggled, pushing against the table as she brought her hands behind her, unhooking her bra underneath her shirt.</p>
<p>"You both look like you could use a drink," Matt said, moving out of the group of guys in the kitchen. His friends had taken a knife to the container of lemonade mix, but that didn't matter to him. He took two red solo cups from the table and filled them, not noticing the girls' bras on the table.</p>
<p>"What's in it?" Raven asked, accepting the cup of pink liquid. </p>
<p>"What isn't?" Matt asked, giving Becky a cup.</p>
<p>She swirled it around, looking at it as though it was nuclear waste. The contents were pink, but it smelled like the varnish Alexander used on paintings. Curiously, Raven took a small sip.</p>
<p><em>Ugh. </em>She swallowed it down, barely, setting the cup down on the table behind her.</p>
<p>Becky looked at her own cup and took a cautious sip as well, her eyes watering by the smell of it. She made a face and put it on the table as well. "Well, there's definitely enough vodka!"</p>
<p>The last thing she needed was to get drunk at a party where most people hated her, where Trevor was sure to be lurking. She couldn't begin to imagine what would happen if she came home smelling like the contents of the cup. Would her parents be angry that she was drunk? Or more impressed that she had acted like a normal teenager for once?</p>
<p>"Finding a place to park was a nightmare, Matty," Becky said to him as he leaned in close, kissing her neck. "There's no way the police aren't going to be called."</p>
<p>He smirked a little, picking his head up from her shoulder. "Let's not worry about that."</p>
<p>Raven turned away when she heard Becky giggle. They were going to leave her here, to babysit the jocks as they tried to open a container of drink mix. Matt and Becky were going to dance the night away, and she was going to be stuck watching over their purses.</p>
<p>"Can you watch this?" Becky asked, handing her bag.</p>
<p>Raven smiled, taking it. She thought about all of the times she had given Becky her purse. Becky had never really warmed up to The Crypt, even with Matt by her side. It had been so routine for her to leave her purse with Becky when going off to dance with Alexander. In the end, it was only fair. </p>
<p>She put the purse strap over her shoulder and picked up her drink from the table, giving Becky a smile as she disappeared into the chaos of the living room. Raven took another sip of the awful liquid, nearly spitting it out again.</p>
<p>The nook near the patio door was full of purses and discarded shoes. Raven moved things around, uncovering a stool and making herself at home with her phone in hand. From where she was, she had a perfect view of the kitchen in case someone needed to call 911.</p>
<p>The guys pulled at the container again, abandoning the knife on the counter. It only took another tug before the container gave way, exploding and coating everything in pink sugar.</p>
<p>Raven put a hand to her lips to hide her smile</p>
<p>It was crazy to think about how many of them had scholarships to top universities for their ability to kick a ball. Matt had gotten in on an athletic scholarship, but Raven knew that he was smart enough to back it up. Becky had gotten in too, but because of her brilliance.</p>
<p>College had become an impending crisis without an answer, one that she had tried hard not to think about.</p>
<p>Her grades weren't good enough to follow Matt and Becky, but she had tried anyway. The state school wasn't far from Dullsville, and the one in Hipsterville allowed her to dream of an apartment shared with Alexander. She had gotten rejected from Hipsterville and waitlisted to the state school. Still, her mom had thrown her a party, celebratory champagne and all. Alexander had been so proud of her that she hadn't even thought about what possible admission meant for them.</p>
<p>It hadn't exactly entered conversations about their future. Every time they had started to talk about their lives together, Raven had turned to covenant ceremonies and transformations. Vampires didn't have to worry about college, or jobs, or anything else like that.</p>
<p>Raven put her drink down on the table beside some girl's purse and rested her head against her empty hand.</p>
<p>Whatever their future was, it couldn't be worse than this-- throwing a party for an elopement that only twenty people knew about.</p>
<p>It was sure to get out before the night's end, and when it did, it would reach Mrs. Mitchell first. Raven couldn't wait to see Mrs. Mitchell kick down Matt's front door in her stiletto heels, demanding that the party stop, that everyone should go home, and for Trevor and Jennifer to explain themselves.</p>
<p>If Trevor really did elope with Jennifer, graduation would be so much easier.</p>
<p>Anytime their class was lined up alphabetically by last time, they had found themselves stuck together-- Madison, Miller, Mitchell. Trevor had relentlessly bullied Becky to get her attention, enough that it was an unspoken rule for Raven and Becky to switch places.</p>
<p>There had been a few times where Raven had come home from standing or sitting next to Trevor with a wad of gum in her hair.</p>
<p>She tried not to let the same rage that had fueled her at nine years old burn through her now. Things were different, especially if Trevor was serious about leaving. She could give him this, a party without her starting a scene, a night without fighting, a night where she took his inevitable abuse with a smile and cried about it later.</p>
<p>If she was lucky, he'd leave her alone, he'd be too busy saying goodbye to all of the girls he had kissed before. Raven knew better than to expect leaving the party unseen. Trevor wouldn't leave without saying goodbye to his arch-nemesis. The words that they had exchanged at lunch had been a false truce, Raven was more than sure.</p>
<p>She slid off of her stool.</p>
<p>The patio door was heavy when she pushed it open, but silent. Raven stepped out into the spring breeze with both purses still slung over her shoulder.</p>
<p>Matt's deck wasn't as fancy as she expected. It was made out of plastic planks made to look like wood, a large grill sat on one end with patio furniture that hadn't been cleaned since the last rainstorm. His lawn, though, stretched out to the edge of the woods. It was so well manicured that it seemed like part of the golf course.</p>
<p>It was the same little forest on the other side that she had led Trevor into, just two years ago. Raven walked up to the banister of the deck and leaned against it, looking out to the edge of the manicured law.</p>
<p>He had pushed her up against a tree and struggled with her camisole. The exhilaration that she had felt, the adrenaline, all of it had twisted her from the inside out.</p>
<p>It would've been easy to let him have what he wanted. So many girls had been in her position, had allowed him to take off their bras, flirt, and kiss, push and pull. He had taken advantage of so many of them, promising them dates, attention, gifts, and more. She had flipped it on him, stealing his clothes, taking advantage of him.</p>
<p>"Ditching already?"</p>
<p>Raven looked away from the woods, startled by the familiar voice behind her. The patio door closed quietly as Trevor stepped out onto the deck with a beer in hand. He came closer, but lingered to the other side of the railing, leaving the small set of stairs between them.</p>
<p>"Thinking about how cool it would be to steal your clothes again," Raven said, glaring at him with every bit of annoyance and frustration she could summon. </p>
<p>It wasn't much, not even the frustration of destroying her own relationship was enough to send Trevor away. She couldn't find the energy to put into her emotions, into warding him off like some sort of disease. It was exhausting to think about it all instead of mindlessly dancing around inside.</p>
<p>For all of the suffering that Trevor had caused, some part of her knew that sitting outside with him was still better than being out there alone. His presence, despite how annoying it was, was still welcome.</p>
<p>Trevor took a swig of his beer. "Reminiscing about me already, Monster Girl? I thought you'd need at least a few years to miss me."</p>
<p>Raven thought about the drink she had left inside, about how she wished she could drain it. If Trevor was going to start talking about himself like this, she'd need it.</p>
<p>"I'll admit that was a good one," he said, looking over to her. "I had to stay the night because I couldn't explain to my mom why I didn't have shoes."</p>
<p>Raven hoped that her smile wasn't too obvious, but she could feel it pulling at her black lipstick. "That must've been a real struggle when you live on the other side of the cul-de-sac."</p>
<p>He huffed, not a laugh, but not a scoff either. Trevor drained the last of his beer. "Anyway, just... know that I'm sorry for that."</p>
<p>Raven nearly choked on the air in her lungs. "You're sorry?"</p>
<p>"Yeah--"</p>
<p>"Don't tell me you want to be friends, oh my god," she closed her eyes tight and told herself not to rub her hands against her face.</p>
<p>She heard him chuckle.</p>
<p>"I mean, if you really want to make things easy, you could apologize too."</p>
<p>"For what?" Raven asked, opening her eyes. "For taking your clothes when you wanted to take advantage of me? Because you wanted to tell everyone you screwed the goth girl? Or when I broke your wrist because you were defacing a historic home? Or when I stopped you from eloping the first time with a girl you only knew for like three weeks?"</p>
<p>He stared at her. Raven couldn't tell if her words were sinking in at all, but she could tell that he was thinking about what he wanted to say next. The silence between them began to worry her, the way he was looking at her was making her uncomfortable enough that Raven considered leaving to go sit in the truck.</p>
<p>"I don't want to do this right now," he said with a huff, turning away from her and looking out to the woods. "I'm leaving, and I'm not planning on coming back to this shit hole of a town."</p>
<p>Raven was surprised that there was at least one thing they could agree on.</p>
<p>Still, it felt wrong. Trevor wasn't supposed to be the one disappointing everyone by eloping. He had truly taken a page from her book, her ways of getting out and running away.</p>
<p>"Remember when you broke my wrist?" He asked, still looking out into the woods. "Was that fucked up or what."</p>
<p>"Yeah, and you hid the racket from me, so I had to go and get a job. I remember." Raven took a deep breath, letting the comfort of conversation fall over her. She could tell by the sound of his voice that this wasn't going to escalate into a fight, that he was simply being nostalgic for old times. She'd allow him this, and only this, as a goodbye. </p>
<p>"You looked hot as fuck in that little secretary outfit."</p>
<p>Raven turned to glare at him.</p>
<p>Of course, in true Trevor Mitchell fashion, he was going to ruin everything.</p>
<p>He caught her glance, "guess I just don't have any good memories of us."</p>
<p><em>Any memory of you is a nightmare,</em> Raven thought to herself.</p>
<p>"Maybe if you're ever in Vancouver we can work on that," he said.</p>
<p>Raven was about to open her mouth to say something, something witty, she was sure. Something like, 'assuming you aren't in prison,' or 'if they even let you in.' She found herself wordless, unable to think about anything other than Dullsville without him. Hasty's diner without his fries getting shoved into her milkshake, or his lips on the glass.</p>
<p>A ringing in the bag at her side freed her from having to find something to say. Raven dug through her purse underneath Becky's, finding her phone. She could kiss whoever was on the other end, even if it was just another telemarketer trying to get her to buy car insurance.</p>
<p>Her heart leaped into her throat when she saw Alexander's name on the screen.</p>
<p>"Hello?" She asked, quickly starting down the stairs of the deck to get away from Trevor and the noise.</p>
<p>"Hey," Alexander said, his voice soft. "Where are you?"</p>
<p>Raven's heart, still in her throat, began to race. Of course he could hear the music in the background. She took a few more steps out into Matt's large yard.</p>
<p>"Um, just at a party."</p>
<p> "Oh, we can talk later when you're--"</p>
<p>"Nope, no," she said with a small laugh, "I was just about to leave." She glanced over to the deck, to where Trevor was leaning against the railing trying to listen in.</p>
<p>There was a smile in his voice, "I just wanted to thank you for the flowers, and uh, I think you're right, we do need to talk about things."</p>
<p>Raven swallowed, hoping to keep her heart from rising up any further in her throat. "Yes, we should, we can. I can meet with you in a bit, I'm just going to see if I can find someone to give me a ride home."</p>
<p>Alexander was quiet for a moment, long enough that Raven could feel a pinprick of dread. She was just about to ask if he was still there when he spoke. "I could pick you up if you want."</p>
<p>It took everything in her not to circle the lawn or show her joy. "That would be great."</p>
<p>"Where are you?"</p>
<p>She knew that he was expecting her to say The Crypt, that she was out with Onyx and Scarlet dancing the night away. Raven took a deep breath, exhaling out loud. "I'm at Matt's. He's throwing a party for the end of school."</p>
<p>Alexander was quiet for a moment. "I don't know where Matt lives, you'll have to send me directions."</p>
<p>"Sure! Yeah, he lives in Oakley Woods, it's behind the Country Club. I'll walk down to the end of the street to meet you."</p>
<p>"Okay, I'll try to be there soon."</p>
<p>Raven smiled, okay, I love you."</p>
<p>"I love you too."</p>
<p>She closed her eyes as the line went dead. Raven smiled wide to herself. It had felt like ages since hearing his voice, since hearing him say 'I love you too,' or anything that made her heart race instead of drop. She tucked her phone into her purse and raced up the steps, ready to find Becky and tell her the good news.</p>
<p>She slowed a little as she reached the top step, "um, thanks for not being... awful, and I hope you have a fun time in Canada," she said to him, turning to grab the patio door. </p>
<p>Before she could reach it, something warm grabbed her by the wrist.</p>
<p>Raven turned quickly, pulling her hand free, but Trevor's grip wasn't very tight on her. He wasn't stopping her, or even trying to. His eyes looked her over as though he was trying to memorize her, looking at everything he could have had had he played his cards right.</p>
<p>"Thanks," he said, his voice soft. "Um, thanks for not stealing my clothes again."</p>
<p>She took a small step back, almost stuck under his gaze. "Thanks for not trying to kiss me again."</p>
<p>Raven opened the patio door and stepped back into the nook. She gave Trevor a second long glance through the glass, his eyes still on her.</p>
<p>It wasn't important, she reminded herself. Trevor was leaving with Jennifer, eloping with her, and she was going to spend the rest of her night with Alexander.</p>
<p>Her heart was beating fast in her chest, but she couldn't pinpoint if it was his hand on her wrist or the promise of a kiss waiting for her at the end of the street. Raven took a deep breath and took Becky's purse off of her shoulder, placing it on the table with the other girls' belongings.</p>
<p>She took a deep, steadying breath.</p>
<p>Alexander was coming to meet her, she thought again. A chill of excitement ran over her skin. Even if he was still mad at her, even if things weren't fixed yet, just seeing him... Raven smiled widely to herself and set off with renewed determination to find her best friend.</p>
<p>This night was going to end, and it was going to end better than it had started-- with the boy who lived on Benson Hill.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
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